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Monday, October 25, 2010

Frugal Tip: 110 BCD's are your friend

130 BCD cranks are the norm in road bikes. However, finding cyclocross friendly chainrings (44, 46, 48) are not so easy in this size.

If you think $35 for a single chainring is reasonable, stop reading. LEAVE!

Personally, I think $10-$15 is a better price for a ring. You can find 110 BCD rings in the cross friendly size of 44, 46, 48 much easier. Many of these are "BMX" rings which is bonus because they often come in cool anodized colors. Many mountain bike cranks are 110 BCD too.

Cross bikes are supposed to be frankensteins, so go find that old mtb crank at the LBS or bike co-op and pair it with a BMX ring. You'll save some dollars.

2 comments:

110mm BCD is also compact road chainset size so you can dump the silly 50/34 rings your bike came with. I've been running TA Dural rings for a while. They're a little rough around the edges but cheap and light. If you're in the UK, try Spa Cycles: inner rings for £11, outer rings for £15. A steal.